For a little over three years now, I have been
using Wally Brownlee’s Model 500
rifle rest. Wally is the chief of Target Shooting
Incorporated located in Watertown, South Dakota. The Model
500 has enabled me to do a much better job of testing rifles
for Gunblast than I could do using sandbags and makeshift
rests. To see how good a rifle will shoot, it must be held
steadily. If I can’t hold the gun consistently for every
shot, I can’t precisely report on the accuracy of any given
gun, scope, or ammunition.

Since buying my Model 500, I have had occasion
to shoot from other rifle rests. While some were good, none
enabled me to hold the rifle as steadily as I can with
Wally’s rest. I even tried one high-dollar rest that
strapped the gun down to the rest, with the rest strapped to
the bench. Still, it could not hold the gun in the same
position from shot to shot, without unstrapping the gun and
starting over for every shot. Also since purchasing my first
Model 500, there have been other rests introduced on the
market that are built from cheap materials with poor
third-world craftsmanship, and imported here at a low price. I
have tried some of the lightweight cheap rests, and have found
that if you buy junk, you get junk. All of the products from
Target Shooting Inc. are American made from the best
materials. With the model 500, I thought that I had the best
rest available, and I did, until the introduction of the Model
1000.

Wally Brownlee is a shooter, and like many
shooters, he is always looking to improve things. The Model
1000 brings to fruition many ideas that are improvements upon
the original Model 500.

The 500 is still being built, and it still has
its place in the field. It is a very versatile rest for target
shooters and varmint hunters. However, for the serious target
shooter, the new Model 1000 offers several very useful
features that greatly improve the shooter’s ability to hit
the target precisely, every time. The most noticeable feature
is the front rest. It consists of two dense polymer blocks
that are naturally slick, so that the gun can slide with
recoil, and can also be coated with silicone spray for
additional lubricity. Some shooters want a rest that holds the
gun to the device without allowing it to slide during recoil.
This is a mistake. The rifle needs to slide within the rest or
over sandbags consistently for each shot, to achieve maximum
accuracy. The two blocks can be adjusted in width to
accommodate any rifle forearm, using the supplied Allen
wrench, which stores in a hole in the side of the front base.
If a shooter prefers a sandbag up front, a holder for one is
available as an option. However, I think that anyone who tries
the adjustable blocks will never go back to a sandbag again.
The front is adjustable for elevation by using a knurled
wheel, which rides smoothly on a roller bearing. The front is
also adjustable for windage by turning a knob on the right
side of the front rest, easily making minute windage
adjustments without disturbing the base of the rest. In front
of the forearm rest is an adjustable forearm stop guide, that
allows the shooter to precisely set the gun in the rest
consistently for each and every shot. Another really nice
feature of the forearm rest is that the blocks allow sling
swivel studs to slide between the blocks, eliminating the need
to remove them for shooting.

The buttstock rest on the Model 1000 is
covered with leather, and the angle is adjustable to fit any
rifle. As an option, an elevation wheel is also available for
the rear rest, to make small adjustments at that location for
elevation.

The base of the Model 1000 has square section
rails, which are much stiffer than round rails of the same
size. As can be seen in the picture of me standing on the
rails of the rest, they are indeed strong. I know that it is
hard to believe looking at my slender frame, but I weigh 230
pounds, and the rails supported my weight easily. The base
also has a bubble level attached, and the feet of the rest are
independently adjustable, to accommodate for an out-of-level
shooting bench. The feet of the Model 1000 are covered with a
rubber cup, for use on metal surfaces. However, for use on a
wood or concrete bench, the rubber cups can be removed and the
hardened steel points can be hammered into the bench top by
hitting the plate above each foot with a mallet. This sinks
the steel point into the wood or concrete surface to prevent
the rest from moving. The points are very durable, and should
hold up to years of use. For use on other surfaces, the
points are easily retracted and the rubber cups replaced. Each
foot also has a locking wheel to lock the position after
leveling the rest. One thing that I really appreciate about
both the Models 500 and 100 is that the rails of the base are
separated enough to allow the use of extended magazines, as
can be seen in the picture. This same feature also allows a
lever action rifle to be cycled without removing the gun from
the rest; a very well thought-out feature. Like the Model 500,
the 1000 is adjustable for length, to accommodate any rifle.
The Model 1000 weighs 14 ¾ pounds, and is very stable in use.

After unboxing the model 1000, taking photos
and measurements, and setting it up on my bench, I laid in a
new Savage .308 bolt action into the rest. I
bore-sighted the rifle, fired a couple of shots to get it on
paper at 100 yards, and proceeded to fire for accuracy. The
first three shots went into a ragged hole measuring just ¼ of
an inch. That not only attests to the accuracy of the gun and
ammunition, but to the precision of the rifle rest. It allows
the gun to fire the same way, every time.

The Model 1000 is built of high quality
materials by American craftsmen, and is very easy to set up
and use. It enables a shooter to achieve the best
accuracy possible from his rifle and ammunition. It does no
good to buy a quality rifle, bolt on an expensive scope, and
use the best ammunition, and then shoot the gun from an
improvised or cheaply-built rifle rest. A woods hunter getting
ready for deer season might do alright sighting his gun off
the hood of a truck. It would get it close enough. However,
every serious shooter and handloader needs a good stable rest
from which to test his gun and ammunition. In the Model 1000,
Wally Brownlee has built the best that I have ever used, and I
highly recommend it.

For pricing information and to purchase the
Model 1000, go to www.targetshooting.com
or call toll free at: 1-800-611-2164..

Jeff Quinn

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For smooth operation, the Model 1000 is equipped with a
roller bearing underneath the elevation adjustment wheel (see
below).

Elevation of the forend rest is fully adjustable by
means of a knurled adjustment wheel. Adjustment is easy,
smooth and precise.

The feet of the Model 1000 rest are covered with rubber
caps for use on metal bench surfaces - underneath the rubber
caps are retractable hardened steel points which can be driven
into wooden or concrete benches.

Once the feet are adjusted to a level position, they can
be locked into place with knurled wheels.

Square steel rails are used for maximum strength. These
rails are strong enough to support Jeff's full weight!

The Model 1000's dual rail system allows the use of
high-capacity magazines or lever-action rifles.

Rear stock rest adjusts to any angle to accommodate a
wide variety of stock designs.

Forend rest is fully width-adjustable.

Forend stop allows a reference for precise repeatability
of gun position in the rest.

Author fine-tunes buttstock elevation.

The Model 1000 rest is fully length-adjustable to fit
virtually any rifle.